Flora of North America species comparison

erect, ascending, or decumbent, sericeous or hirsute.

1–12, simple or branched from distal leaf axils, 5–60 cm.

alternate, odd-pinnate;

stipules present [absent];

petiolate;

leaflets (1–)9–15, blade margins entire, surfaces short-sericeous abaxially, glabrous adaxially.

uniformly distributed along stem or absent in distal 1/3;

stipules caducous, dark, linear, relatively small, proximal pair of leaflets sometimes bent toward stem, forming false stipules;

basal leaves 2–8 cm, reduced to terminal leaflet or with a much larger terminal leaflet and 2–8 reduced lateral leaflets;

cauline leaves 2–7, leaflet blades ovate to elliptic or oblong to linear-lanceolate, ± equal, apex acute, sometimes apiculate.

2–5, hemispheric or globose, 2–3 cm;

bracts palmately lobed, divided 1/2 their lengths, lobes acute or obtuse;

prophyll 3-lobed, at midpoint or apex of peduncle;

bracteoles dark, relatively small.

5–25+-flowered, terminal [axillary], headlike racemes or umbels;

bracts present [absent];

prophylls present or absent.

5–16 cm.

papilionaceous;

calyx tubular [campanulate], lobes 5, often accrescent, pubescent;

corolla yellow or reddish;

stamens 10, monadelphous, [diadelphous or adaxial distinct to 1/2 its length, or at first all connate into a closed tube, distally becoming partly or entirely distinct];

anthers dorsifixed.

sessile, 10–15 mm;

calyx 7–10 × 3–4 mm, contracted apically, mouth oblique, lobes unequal, adaxial 2 ± coherent, off-white or gray, apex sometimes purple;

corolla 12–15 mm, blades long-clawed;

banner ovate, base truncate or auriculate;

wings ovate, obtuse;

keel obtuse or apiculate, shorter than wings, incurved, inflated laterally, often adnate to base of staminal tube;

filaments thickened distally, enclosed in corolla;

anthers uniform;

ovary usually stalked, rarely subsessile;

style glabrous;

stigma terminal.

legumes, stipitate [sessile], straight, falcate, or arcuate, constricted between seeds or not, flattened-ovoid [short-linear], winged or not, indehiscent or tardily dehiscent, glabrous.

brown, 3–4 mm, included in calyx, surfaces reticulate.

1 or 2, globose to ovoid.

brown or bicolored, 2.4–3.2 × 1.6–2 mm, 0.8–1.2 mm thick, smooth or tubercled, sometimes with slight lateral indentation;

hilum ventral, whitish with darker border, round.

= 6.

= 12 (Europe).